Living Arrangements
by Chel 90210
Summary: Just when Caroline thinks that Klaus is going to propose, he breaks things off. Knowing that she doesn't have anywhere to go, he offers to let her stay in the apartment they once happily shared until she has finished school. Can a single Caroline and Klaus live under the same room without causing any turmoil? Klaroline. Rated 'M'.
1. I

**Living Arrangements**

**_Preface_**

The color in her face drained.

Her throat constricted and the walls grew even narrower in the hallway that they stood in. Caroline couldn't wrap her mind around exactly what he was trying to say.

It came out as '_I'm sorry, but…_'

'_I don't mean to throw this on you…_'

'_We need to talk_.'

He said he needed space. He needed time to think. Time to find himself and know what it was like to be '_free for once'_.

_What the fuck did that mean?_

He told her he didn't know what it was like to be with anyone else, to experience anything different. He told her he didn't know what it was like to have a random hook-up or feel the warmth of a stranger's bed.

And in between all of his '_I need to find myself'_ talk, he threw in the good ol', '_but I love you so much'_.

She believed him, Caroline really did. She knew what they had was explosive. It was like being on fire and enjoying it. Every time they made love it was nothing short of amazing.

He wasn't lying either. They never experienced anything beyond each other. They had every first together. He was her first boyfriend and first kiss. He took her virginity and stole her heart.

And for what?

For it to end up like this?

She should have seen this coming. She should have known it would have eventually led up to this.

He came home late; he locked the bathroom door and hid away in his office most nights. Caroline knew that something wasn't right, she knew that there was something bothering him, but she knew never to push him either.

If she pushed him, he lost it. Freaked out actually and it scared her to see him like that state. He was vulnerable and weak, unable to control his actions.

No he would never intentionally hurt her. His episodes were triggered by memories. It has happened before though, but Caroline remained with him through everything. She thought they _had_ endured _everything_, but she knew she would never be prepared for this.

And who is?

Who is ready to be told by their significant other of almost six years that they need time apart? That they want to explore and find themselves?

Caroline sure wasn't.

She was almost absolutely sure that he was ready to propose. At the age of twenty-four, she felt that they were both nearly established enough to consider the topic of marriage and a real life together.

And now it seemed as if Klaus wanted to keep a ten-foot pole between them at all times.

Her heart shattered and she crumbled to the floor. With her back against the wall, he extended his hand offering to help her up, but she refused any sort of sympathy towards him.

She turned her head, dismissing his offer and her chest rumbled lowly before a loud cry escaped her lips. Eventually she lost it, she was howling.

Klaus crouched in front of her and grabbed the hands that were covering her perfect face and urged her to quiet down.

_She wouldn't. She couldn't._

How could he be so calm about this? Caroline figured he must have been thinking long and hard about it to not get upset and break out into hysterics like she was.

_And boy she was she ever. _

She was breaching the point of a full on panic attack. Klaus being the man that he was didn't know how to react. Most men didn't know how to deal with the cries of a woman.

Caroline sympathized with him though because she rarely cried …ever. And here she was about to go into cardiac arrest.

She fought against his hands that were trying to calm her down. They didn't feel warm like they usually did.

They felt cold and distant.

They felt as though they didn't belong and that only upset Caroline more.

Eventually he grew persistent and slammed her hands against the back of the wall, yelling at her, screaming and Caroline couldn't bring herself to dry her tears.

"Caroline, stop crying." He pleaded with her. "I need you to calm down, _sweetheart_."

The term of endearment slipped from his lips and only pissed her off more than upset her.

She scowled at him removing her hands from his cold ones. She stood up and backed away from him, giving him one last look before slapping him across the face.

He didn't flinch, he didn't move. He knew it deserved it. He deserved every bad gesture and remark that came from Caroline. He hurt her deeply and he would never forgive himself for it.

He knew that this is what he needed to do. He didn't originally plan on breaking it off tonight, but Caroline was dropping hints more so than she ever had lately.

Then Klaus snapped.

He recalled their dinner no more than an hour ago. Caroline was talking about his brothers wedding they were attending this weekend. She was dropping subtle hints on what she would like and how she would do it if it were her wedding.

Klaus tried to keep his mind straight. He had told himself he would do it after the wedding, but he knew that he couldn't.

He slammed his fork against the mahogany table and his cold eyes looked up at her. He knew he startled her in mid conversation.

She raised an eyebrow and didn't look alarmed until she saw that the look on his face.

He laid it all out for her.

He told her the truth and how he felt. Told her that he needed space, but still loved her.

But should he expect her to still be around once he found himself?

_No_. That would be selfish of him, but he had hope.

He knew she was still in school and had no means of living. That thought had never crossed his mind before while he had been contemplating this.

He saw her walk into their bedroom and pull out a suitcase. She began to pull whatever she could out of her drawers.

She was reeking havoc on the bedroom, not caring what she broke or knocked over. He walked up behind her as she placed a few pair of socks in the suitcase. Her motions stilled.

"I don't want you to leave," He told her selfishly

"I need to leave, Klaus. I can't stay here." Her words broke. She was unable to speak clearly and she hated herself for not being strong.

He knew it was selfish of him to ask her to stay, but he wouldn't just throw her on the streets.

"I understand that, _sweethe_—" He stopped himself. He knew he couldn't speak like that to her anymore. It tore him apart. "I know it isn't the best proposition, but you graduate in less than two months. You already have that job at the firm when you're done. Please, just stay here until then."

_It was selfish, pure selfishness. _

But he knew she couldn't refuse because she truly had nowhere to go. She pulled out of his embrace in which they awkwardly were still in and turned around to face him.

She didn't say yes, but she didn't say no.

Instead she slowly walked out of the room and down the hallway. It wasn't until he heard the door of the guest room slamming that he knew that she would at least be staying for the night.

_Living with your ex couldn't be that hard, could it?_

* * *

**_AN: I will either be continuing this or 'Dog Tags' after I finish 'Marriage of Convenience'._**

**_Let me know what you guys prefer! I love both ideas, but I would only like to focus on one once I'm done with MoC._**


	2. II

**Aftermath **

"_Two words. Three vowels. Four constenants. Seven letters. It can either cut you open to the core and leave you in ungodly pain or it can free your soul and lift a tremendous weight off you shoulders. The phrase is: It's over." _

― _Maggi Richard_

**Two Weeks later.**

Caroline didn't go back that night. Nor did she the next day or the day after that. Klaus called her once to see if she was still alive, but after that, nothing.

It was weird not getting the annual '_Good Morning Sweetheart'_ or '_Have a Good day, baby'_ text. That first week was an utter blur. They never went so long without speaking let alone seeing each other.

It was as if their entire relationship wasn't even there. Like nothing they did over the years mattered.

The next time he spoke to Caroline was at the end of the week. He didn't call. He left a simple,_ 'I'll be going to the wedding myself this weekend' _text that morning. Caroline laughed to herself. Did she really think that Klaus would want to take her after everything that happened?

She was hopeful, perhaps too hopeful. She should've known it would crash and burn. Caroline managed to keep their break-up a secret from almost everyone that long, but she knew they would know when he didn't bring her to the wedding.

Caroline returned briefly to the apartment the weekend that Klaus was away. She needed to pack up a few clothes and grab a few necessities before she left for an extended period of time again

All she knew was that she wasn't ready to face Klaus yet.

The phone calls didn't start until the day following the marriage.

She did her best to ignore every single one, but she couldn't bring herself to ignore the call she got from Katherine.

"Are you okay?" Her concerned voice was evident.

"No," She told her honestly. "But I will be."

_Eventually._

"Klaus told us that you came down with mono," Katherine said. "I had no idea it was so serious. Everyone was worried about you, Caroline."

Caroline didn't say anything. She couldn't.

She was shocked and appalled all at the same time.

He didn't even tell them? Why would he do that?

_To save his face. _Her inner conscious told her. Of course he didn't want to look like that bad one in this situation.

Caroline didn't correct Katherine.

"I should be fine in a few weeks." She lied to her.

_That should at least give me some time for an explanation._

"Good." She sensed her smile over the phone. "We need to double when you're feeling up to it. I'll talk to you later Car!"

She hung up the phone wishing that she hadn't answered it in the first place. She definitely needed to figure out what she was going to do.

When the second week came to a close, Caroline finally found the courage to return to the apartment.

A million thoughts ran through her mind as she rode the elevator to the third floor. It was funny because she used to do the same thing every day, but this time felt different. Foreign.

Where would she sleep? It was a two-bedroom apartment, but Klaus used the second one as an office. The conversation would be awkward, but they had to work something out if she was going to remain there for the time being.

How would they act around each other? How could they go through their normal routine and act like nothing was ever there? How can you nonchalantly walk passed someone you once called lover and not think of everything you've ever done?

That's the funny thing around 'staying friends' after a relationship is over. It doesn't happen. It can't happen.

She hesitated at the foot of the door. She tightly held onto her Vera Bradley overnight bag and finally decided not to ponder anymore.

The door opened wide. Caroline was greeted with the scent of a pumpkin spice candle. She had almost forgotten that she had those. Klaus must have decided to use them.

She left her bag at the front door and awkwardly walked inside. She wasn't prepared for this. Caroline knew she would have never been prepared for this moment, but it was here and she had to face it whether she liked it or not.

She walked past the small kitchen area and into the living room. Klaus sat there wearing plaid sweatpants and a tight black Henley.

She cursed him in that very moment because the Caroline that was with Klaus would've have crawled on his lap and told him how mouthwatering he looked.

She had to push those thoughts out of her mind and focus on what the plan was here.

Graduate, leave and move on.

It was easier said than done, but Caroline had to give herself credit. It had only been two weeks since their split and she seemed to be doing well.

That was until his eyes flickered from ESPN to her. His hand that was resting on his chin moved away, he removed his feet from the center table and sat up.

He looked uncomfortable and surprised by her presence.

"Hi." Caroline said awkwardly offering a half-smile. What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to say?

"Caroline." His monotone voice surprised her. "Welcome back." He said.

Caroline didn't know what else to say. She took a seat on the far end of the couch. Her body language gave away how uncomfortable she was. Her back was straight up and she kept her hands folded on her lap.

She hated ESPN, but she watched it anyway. She wanted the awkwardness to go away, but the more she stayed quiet, the worse it got.

He knew she hated ESPN, but said nothing, offered nothing and acted liked she wasn't there. She hated it.

About an hour passed... maybe two? Caroline lost track.

Klaus stood up from the couch and walked into the kitchen without saying a word. The place that felt like home two weeks ago, felt like walking into a strangers home.

She wasn't expecting Klaus to pounce on her as soon as she walked in the door, but she expected at least a little bit of politeness from him. He wasn't even giving her that.

He begged her to stay, but yet he was doing little to make her feel welcome.

After he left the kitchen, he walked back in and stood in front of Caroline. She looked up at him and waited for him to speak.

"I'm going to bed." He told her. "I'll bring you out a pillow and blanket so you can sleep on the couch." _That hurt._

Well what was she expecting? For him to offer his bed? She needed to stop being so hopeful. He was completely done with her and she hated she had to cope with it like this.

She hated that he was fine and she was burning up inside. She felt like she was going to combust. Klaus on the other hand acted was drinking a margarita with his feet in the sand.

It just wasn't fair.

A few moments later, he brought out a pillow and blanket and laid it out at the end of the couch. When he stood up to walk away, she trailed behind him.

She didn't do it on purpose; it was just _all of her stuff_ was in _his _room. It felt weird to say it like that… _his _room. He sensed her behind him and stopped before he reached the bedroom door.

"What are you doing?" He asked skeptically.

"All of my stuff is in there." She told him embarrassed. What did he think she was trying to do? The fact that he thought that low of her made the knife dig deeper into her fractured heart.

He didn't comment on it, but instead allowed her inside. The aroma of the room brought back memories and Caroline felt her cheeks redden.

_No, no, no, no. Do not do this Caroline. _She willed the tears to go away. She bit her lip until her emotions subsided. Once she gained control of herself, she glanced around the room.

Every single picture they had and every single memory of their relationship magically disappeared from the room.

Caroline was shaking now and for once she was glad that Klaus wasn't paying attention to her.

She walked over to the drawers that held her sleepwear and pulled out the first pair she saw. She walked towards the bathroom and almost collided with him as they both reached the door.

"What are you doing?" He asked her for a second time.

"All of my stuff is in there." She gave him the same answer.

"You can go in first." He gave her permission. She didn't argue, she just went.

She hurriedly stripped herself of her clothes and changed into the sleepwear that she picked up.

_Oh no. _

Why couldn't she have been paying attention?

The sleepwear she picked up just happened to be a black, lace piece. One that she knew Klaus was very fond of.

She remembered that she placed it on the top drawer because she was going to seduce him that same night he broke it off.

But that plan didn't even go into motion because… he broke it off.

Caroline groaned. She didn't have a choice. She quickly changed into the two-piece set, brushed her teeth and combed out her hair. She picked up all of her clothes, careful not to leave them on the floor and walked out of the bathroom.

She kept her head down as she left. There was no way she could make eye contact with Klaus while she was wearing this. He would think that she did it on purpose in some attempt to seduce him.

But those weren't her intentions at all. Once she made it out of the bedroom in once piece, she placed her clothes in the small laundry room and walked into the kitchen.

She opened the fridge and pulled out the milk. She spun around to find Klaus standing right in front of her. The look on his face was not a happy one.

In fact, he looked royally pissed. Caroline almost dropped the contents from her hands.

Slowly she placed it on the counter and made eye contact with Klaus. His eyes were glazed, his pupils were dilated and he had that look on his face.

The one that he made right before he used to make love to her, it was tantalizing. But now it was scaring her.

"What the _fuck _are you trying to do, Caroline?" Klaus raised his voice at her. His voice was hoarse and he looked as if he was trying to fight an internal battle.

"Nothing." She said giving him back what he was dishing out since she got here. Monotone.

"You think wearing _that _little number is nothing?" He pointed at her attire. His eyes scanned the entire length of her body. It made her feel uncomfortable.

"I don't see why you would be affected by it, Klaus." She shook her head at him. He broke up with her. As far as she was concerned, he wanted nothing to do with _her. _So why was he acting like he was affected?

"Any man with a cock would be affected by it. You're practically naked and I can see through your top. Don't think you're special because I'm attracted to a woman standing in a kitchen half naked."

If Caroline had a knife in her hand, she would have used it by now.

Not once in their entire relationship had he spoke to her in such a demeaning way. She was utterly and irrevocably convinced that he was trying to push her out.

She absolutely loathed him more than she possibly thought she could after his comment.

Caroline left the milk on the counter and stepped in front of Klaus. She had too much to say to him, so much to ask, but the only thing she could bring herself to do in this very moment was slap him across the face.

And she did. Hard.

It was like a recollection of the night he broke it off. Except when he didn't flinch, Caroline went in for a second swing, but his hand caught her wrist.

"That's the last time you will ever hit me." He said. Caroline fought for her wrist back, but Klaus gripped it tighter. He brought it down to her side and leaned in close to her face. "Ever, Caroline."

She finally managed to free herself and left the kitchen without glancing back once.

She awoke the next day with a sore neck. The sleep was uncomfortable and she longed for the comfort of real bed. She flipped on the television and turned on the morning news.

She cleaned her mess up and walked into the kitchen. Her stomach was rumbling. Caroline pulled out some ingredients and started making herself breakfast.

She noted that it was a little after eight and was well aware that Klaus would still be asleep. It was a Saturday after all.

The one thing out of this whole situation that didn't bother her was that she was using the food in the kitchen. Most of the food she bought in this kitchen _she bought._

She prepared eggs, bacon and toast.

She even made a little extra just in case Klaus woke up and decided to join her.

He emerged from the bedroom and joined her in the kitchen. He wore the same clothes that he had on the night before and Caroline tried her best to ignore him.

She thoughtfully started a pot of coffee for him, knowing that he took it black. She hated herself for thinking about him in every decision she made.

It was a hard habit to break and she knew she needed to stop.

He gladly took the coffee without offering a '_Thank you'_ or even a '_Good morning'_ for that matter. She made a plate up for herself and stopped herself before she made one for Klaus.

It was a habit of course.

"I made a little extra just in case you wanted some." She told him. He may be an ass hole, but Caroline wasn't. She offered the food out of kindness.

"I don't." He told her.

Caroline didn't say anything nor did she react. She scolded herself again.

_Why do you do this to yourself Caroline?_

She ate her breakfast in silence.

Klaus drank his coffee and read the paper in the same manner.

Caroline finished and walked around the island to clean up her mess.

She put away the left overs making a mental note to eat it later. Once she was finished she made the mistake of looking over at Klaus.

He was staring at her.

"What did I tell you about that outfit you're wearing?" He was really going to yell her for this again?

"I slept in it. I woke up and I ate. I didn't see the point in changing." She told him. "If you don't like what I'm wearing, then you can leave the room!" She yelled at him.

He pushed back his chair raging and marched towards her.

"I don't like it and I won't leave because in case you forgot, this is _my_ apartment." He was trembling.

"You begged me to stay here, Klaus." She pointed out. "I haven't even been here a full twelve hours and you've already done everything but call me a whore!" She was seeing red.

"You're prancing around here dressed like one, Caroline." He was seething. "I offered you a place to stay so you could finish school, not so you can try to seduce me."

_That was low._

"If I was trying to get into your pants, Mr. Mikaelson I would have done it already." She spoke confidently.

"That's why I broke things off with you isn't it?" Caroline then did what she was told _not to do_. She slapped him across the face again.

But it didn't end there. She punched him, she kicked him and did everything to relieve herself of the pent up anger she felt.

She was never this way. He made her this way. He made her crazy and she hated him for it.

"I hate you, Klaus!"

He iron tight grip stalled her movements. He locked both of her hands with one wrist and backed her into the nearest wall.

"Stop it." He told her.

"It's you." She felt the hot tears rolling down her cheeks. "You make me like this." She accused. "You do this to me, I hate you."

Her head fell into his chest and she cried. And he let her.

He let her cry on his shoulder for a good five minute before pulling back. She looked up at him and his instinct was to tighten his hold on her.

"You're hurting me, Klaus." His face softened lightly and he loosened his grip.

He looked down at her and licked his lips. He was giving her the same look that he gave her the night before.

Caroline didn't know if she could handle all of this. She knew if he tried anything that she had to pull away.

But she felt her body betraying her. Her nipples pebbled as he released her wrists and pushed himself into her. It was overwhelming. Her emotions were spinning in a whirlwind of chaos.

"Don't do this." She begged him. Her mind was compromising with her body. She had to get him to pull away because she couldn't do it herself.

He lifted her chin and held it in between his thumb and forefinger. Caroline closed her eyes trying to picture that he wasn't there, but his touch alone was a constant reminder.

She knew that when he finally chose to let her go that his touch would haunt her. It would linger until he did it again and she hoped that he chose not to.

A single tear rolled down her cheek and she cursed herself for allowing it again. She opened her eyes deciding to face Klaus. His face showed no sign of emotion.

In once swift movement he released her chin, pulled away and walked out of the room.

Caroline exhaled, letting out the breath she was holding in.

* * *

**AN: **

**Here's the first chapter, I couldn't leave you guys hanging! **

**Reviews makes me happy!**


	3. III

**Coping Mechanisms**

Sitting in the back of the class, Caroline tapped her ballpoint pen lightly against the desk. She was trying to pay attention, but couldn't seem to stay focused.

Of course she knew _why. _She just told herself that she just shouldn't think about it anymore. Pushing it out of her mind seemed to be the best solution. She was trying to ignore the fact that it was making her numb and maybe rather reckless.

She glanced down at her paper and observed the two flowers, three houses and six pictures of doughnuts she scribbled onto her notebook. The drawings resembled the work of a toddler.

Caroline grinned to herself and placed her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing. And then she thought about how pathetic she became because she was laughing at her own jokes in the middle of a lecture.

"Caroline?" Her professor Mr. Donovan called out. Caroline's face turned cherry red. _Shit, she wasn't paying attention. _"You seem to be very attentive today. Would you care to answer the question I just asked the class?"

Caroline sat straight up and placed her pencil on the desk. _Get your shit together Caroline, you're 22 years old. _"Could you please repeat the question, sir?"

"I will when you meet me in my office after class, Caroline. Now moving on…"

Caroline sighed knowing that she screwed up this time. It was barely a day after she returned back from the apartment. She knew by the look on Mr. Donovan's face that she pissed him off.

Could he cut her a break though? She was always a top student. Always answered questions and was consistently fifteen minutes early every single day. She groaned when he dismissed the class knowing that she was in for it.

She waited outside the professor's door silently. Moments later, Mr. Donovan appeared from around the corner and ushered her inside his office.

"Please take a seat Caroline." She silently took a seat across from him while he messed around with his briefcase and took a swing of his coffee.

"You know how I got to where I am today, Caroline?" Great, now he was trying some some psychological mind fucking way of telling her she was '_going down the wrong path'_

God, it was only _once._

"It won't happen again, Mr. Donovan." She kept her eyes pointed downward. There was no way she could look at him. She still hadn't talked to anyone about this and she wasn't about to do it here.

"Forget what I just said," He leaned across his desk. "I know something is bothering you, Forbes. I'm not going to ask what it is, but I will give you some advice… don't let it show. You're about two months away from your dream job and you can't let it all go to shit because of your home life. You need to put whatever it is behind you and focus."

Caroline nodded. She only half agreed with him. She knew she shouldn't bring all of her personal problems here, but it was hard when she had nowhere to go.

It was an awful situation. She hated the fact that she was being financially by someone who currently hated her guts at the moment.

"I will try my best, sir." She finally looked at him with all of the confidence she could muster.

"I suggest you take some friends and go to the club." He smiled at her. "Don't tell the other students that I'm encouraging drinking on a Thursday night." He joked with her. She knew that they wouldn't believe her anyway.

They all thought Mr. Donovan was as straight laced at they came.

When she finally left his office, she was smiling. Not because he absolutely '_made her da_y' or anything like that. It was because he gave her an idea she should've thought about two weeks ago: She was going to the bar and she was getting wasted.

Quickly, Caroline pulled out her cell phone.

"Katherine!" Caroline exclaimed. She was thankful that she answered on the first ring.

"I don't care what your plans are tonight. Clear your calendar. We need to have a girls night."

"Luck for you, I'm a free woman." She could feel Katherine's smirk on the other side of her cell phone. "Trouble at home?" She inquired.

"You have no idea." She told her.

They arrived at _Karma _entering the VIP section. Courtesy of Katherine being 'well acquainted' with the bounce, but she didn't care to know _how acquainted_ they really were.

All she wanted to do tonight was get wasted on dry martinis and forget her ex even existed. Both her and Katherine took a seat directly at the bar and Caroline opened a tab.

Katherine raised an eyebrow at her. "Can you afford that?"

"I don't care right now." Caroline said. "_I need this."_

"Are you going to tell me why now?"

Caroline sighed knowing that she eventually had to tell someone, but she remained quiet.

"Look," Katherine said pushing Caroline's drink in front of her. "I know you're not sick. Believe me if you were we definitely wouldn't be here. Tell me what is going on Caroline."

Shit.

She completely forgot that she told Katherine that she came down with mono. She lied to her and that made her feel even worse about the situation. Caroline wasn't pissed that Katherine found out, she was pissed at herself for being so careless.

Caroline was so completely wrapped up in everything else that she completely forgot her lie. She didn't think she would be ready to see people so soon, but her conscious was slowly eating at her.

Maybe it would be better to talk to someone about it.

"Klaus and I broke up…" Caroline confessed.

After two more shots of alcohol Caroline had explained a trilogy of information to Katherine. Her friend sat there, wide-eyed and silent. She didn't interrupt Caroline once, but instead offered her a comforting hand and sympathy.

And this is what Caroline _didn't want._

Sympathy.

"Car, you know you can come and live with me right?"

The thought never crossed her mind before.

"I know I can, but I need to do this. I have two months left of school and then I'm out of there. I just need to know I can live with him without being with him, you know?"

The thought was twisted, but Katherine would support her friend in whatever decision she made.

"If you ever can't handle it Caroline… you know there's always a place for you with me."

"Thank you, Kat."

With two martinis and three shots of added alcohol in her system, Caroline grew brave. She stood up straightening her little black dress and grabbed Katherine by the hand. "Let's go dance!"

They made their way out to the middle of the dance floor and Caroline could feel the effects of the alcohol in her system. She knew she was borderline drunk, but she took a cab here for a reason. She wanted to get obliterated.

At first, Caroline and Katherine danced with each other. The song changed and she saw the bouncer that let them in step in behind Katherine. He quickly whisked her away and Caroline stood there alone.

She wasn't mad at her friend for dancing with another guy, she was happy for her. Caroline didn't expect Katherine to baby her the entire night while she cried over spilt milk.

Instead, Caroline took it upon herself to dance with herself. She didn't really care. She was letting loose and having fun and that's all that mattered. She laughed out loud at how ridiculous she must have looked, but the alcohol was slowly taking over her liver.

Before she knew it, time was passing. She felt a presence behind her and knew someone had started to dance with her. She didn't protest or back away. She didn't even look back to see who it was.

It couldn't have been a woman for all she cared. All she knew was that she was finally having fun.

She made eye contact with Katherine several feet away from her. She gave her the thumbs up, knowing that it was indeed a man behind her and that she approved.

She felt the man wrap his hands around her tiny waist. She began to sway her hips seductively to the song. She didn't know what they were listening to, but she kept in sync with the beat.

She learned before even looking at him that he was a fabulous dancer. She spun around in his arms until she came face to face with the man she was dancing with.

_Shit, again._

"Marcel?" She was absolutely floored. "What the… _shit."_

"Didn't expect me, did you?" He flashed his perfect teeth. "I was wondering what you were doing all alone on the dance floor and decided that I couldn't let some creep whisk you off your feet."

"Marcel, we can't do this." She slowly pulled from his embrace.

"Where's your man?" He asked changing the subject.

"Don't ask." She warned him. "It's none of your business."

"It is my business if you're prancing around here like a drunken trollop. You're lucky my boys spotted you when they did or else I don't know what would've happened to you."

"I knew I shouldn't have come to one of your clubs." She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm leaving." She told him starting to walk away.

"Wait." He grabbed her by the arm and Caroline flinched. She started at him horrifically.

"What did he do to you Caroline?"

"Nothing, Marcel. I'm leaving. You don't have to worry about me being in one of your precious clubs again."

She knew that by coming here there was a possibility this blowing up on her face and it did. Caroline purposely picked Karma because Marcel owned it. She knew she would never see Klaus or anyone he was associated with here.

Klaus and Marcel _loathed _each other and even saying that was an understatement. Their rivalry was longer than Caroline and Klaus' entire relationship. She knew there was a slim chance she would see Marcel tonight, but of course she did. That's the way her luck ran; away from her.

Marcel always had a thing for Caroline and the first time that Klaus found out they were friends, the fight was terrible. It was the worst one she ever had with Klaus. She knew that no one but Marcel could get under his skin.

She made her way out of the club not caring if Marcel was following and not letting Katherine know she was leaving. Caroline would text her as soon as she got in the cab, but she knew she wouldn't miss her anytime soon.

"Caroline, stop." She heard his voice as she approached the entrance.

She finally made it out of the building before Marcel stopped her again. She paused deciding she would give him three minutes. After that, she was gone.

"What?" She screamed at him.

"Talk to me, Car. You barely do anymore. You know I care about you." He was pulling out the big guns. She never had any feelings past friendship for him, but his words were soothing.

"I can't talk about it." She confessed. "I promise Klaus has never hit me, but I can't talk about it."

"At least let me take you home." He offered. "I just want to know that you're safe."

Caroline let him take her home. She shot Katherine a text as soon as she got in the car making sure her friend wouldn't worry about her.

She could still feel the alcohol coursing through her system and all she really wanted to do was sleep.

They made it back to the apartment in record time. Caroline thanked Marcel for the ride and declined when he offered to walk her inside. She explained that she didn't want to start something with Klaus.

She glanced down at her phone and noted that it was only a little after one in the morning. She unlocked the door to her apartment anticipating Klaus to still be awake. She entered the apartment and it was empty.

She walked into the bedroom and quickly changed her clothes. She rubbed her temples slowly already anticipating a headache in the morning. Without thinking, Caroline crawled into the middle of the bed and fell asleep.

Caroline could feel someone shaking her. Slowly, she opened her eyes and was face to face with Klaus. She bolted right up realizing what she had done. It wasn't a crime, but she knew it was a big mistake.

She fell asleep in the bed.

She fell asleep in _Klaus' _bed. And the look on his face wasn't an amusing one.

"You're sleeping in my bed." He told her. "Get the fuck out."

Caroline was still drunk and she couldn't stop the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. She should have told Marcel. She should've gone home with him. Even if it was only for one night, it was one night that she didn't have to get abused by Klaus.

She buried her face deep in her hands and her cries grew louder. She almost wanted Klaus to forcefully remove her. It would give her an excuse to leave.

"Would you stop crying, Caroline? God dammit!" She felt him pick her up bridal style and lift her off of the bed.

He placed her on her feet, encouraging her to leave. As soon as her feet hit the ground she crumbled to the floor. Her sobs grew erratic and louder.

Not wanting Klaus to pick her up again, she tried lifting herself up from the floor, but her body was weak.

The emotional distress that Klaus had caused mixed with the alcohol wasn't making things easy for her either. She looked up at Klaus hopelessly and he gave her nothing in return.

She finally got onto her feet. She felt the acid in her stomach and knew that she was going to throw up. She walked unsteadily to the bathroom and hurled herself over the toilet.

She heard Klaus following behind her. He held back her hair as she released all of the contents in her stomach.

"Are you fucking drunk?" He screamed.

Like he had to ask. She nodded with her head face down in the toilet. "How much did you have?" berated her.

She couldn't remember. She knew what had consumed at one point and she thought it wasn't much. She forgot that her alcohol tolerance wasn't up to par with what it used to be.

"I'm sorry." She told him. "I shouldn't have gone out." She was more talking to herself than him.

"Where did you go, Caroline?" He was suddenly interested in her whereabouts.

"_Karma_." She said. "Marcel found me there and took me home."

"He_ what_?" Klaus snapped. She could sense the venom in his voice.

"He found me there and took me home." She repeated.

Klaus released her hair and backed away from her. "We've barely been broken up for a month and you're already dating again? And with him of all people?"

"You've got to be joking." Caroline moaned. "I'm not dating him. I was at the club with Katherine. She left me with alone while she went off with some guy. He didn't want me to be by myself. I didn't want to stay there with him so he took me home." Caroline was telling the truth, but Klaus would only hear what he wanted to.

"He brought you back to_ my_ apartment with what intentions? Did you fuck on _my_ bed?" He was jumping to conclusions.

Caroline stood up trying to steady herself. "What the hell Klaus? No we didn't and if we were going to fuck, we wouldn't do it here!" She told him.

"You're such a fucking slut. Out of every man in the god damn world, you had to pick him?" His hands were balled at his sides.

"You know what, I'm not going to deal with this." Caroline said. "I'm fucking leaving and I'm not coming back. I knew staying here was a mistake. I didn't do anything wrong and you can't seem to be civil with me for more than fifteen seconds." Caroline swept past him and grabbed her phone.

She didn't want to bother Katherine.

She decided to call Marcel. She dialed his number and it went straight to voicemail. "Shit!" She muttered.

Whether Marcel answered or not, she was still leaving. She would rather rot underneath a bridge homeless, than waste another second in this apartment.

She grabbed a coat and her purse and walked towards the door. She brought a key with her so she could come back to get her stuff when she figured out what she was going to do.

She would have to tell her family now. There was no way around it and she would definitely let them know how he was treating her afterward the fact.

She walked out into the streets of New York not sure where she was going. It didn't matter either. As long as she was far gone from the man she was still in love with, she knew she would be okay.

Her gait was still unsteady when she rounded the corner near the end of her street. She felt her knees buckle and her slim body hit the concrete.

Moments after she felt a strong embrace lift her from the ground.

"Fuck, I'm sorry." She felt Klaus' warm voice in her ear. "It's cold and you're drunk. I'm stupid. _Shit."_

He carried her the entire way up back to the apartment. He took her into his bedroom and placed her back onto the middle of the bed. Caroline kept her eyes closed not wanting to ruin the moment.

Fresh tears strolled down her face and she struggled to warm her body. She felt Klaus drape a warm fuzzy blanket over her. She felt him brush back a few hairs that were loose around her face.

Caroline felt him lean in and kiss her on the forehead murmuring apologies and promises she knew he would never keep.

She drifted off into a deep sleep, but when she awoke the next morning, Klaus wasn't there to comfort her. No one was.

* * *

**AN: **

**Sorry for the long wait! Please review!**


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